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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Day 1

Project 31.

Day 1.

What does beauty mean to you?

Hmmm, starting out with the deep stuff. Here goes!

I think beauty can come in a million different forms. When I think something is beautiful, it means that I am finding a deep appreciation for it either to my senses, or my soul...or both. Beauty is when I can see the creativeness of God's hand in something else. I am a lover of beautiful things. Who isn't?

But here's the thing about beauty...the bible says beauty is vain. What does that mean? Sometimes when I read that, I have a hard time understanding why a God who made so many beautiful things, including women, says that beauty is vain. I really don't think it means that I should not be beautiful. I also don't think it means don't make myself lovely for my husband. I think it means that beauty according to the world's standards, is vain...as in someday, it will be gone. The verse goes on to say, "..but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." (proverbs 30). This is what lasting beauty is.

I work at a retirement home. The average age of our residentsis 90. Everyday I look at people who are at the end of their life, and all theirworldly beauty has faded. Not even one of them has been able to fight off theeffects of age on their body and mind. Every single one of them, no matter howhealthy and stunning they may have been in their younger days, has a millionwrinkles, crooked fingers, drooping eyelids, grey hair (or no hair), a hunchedback, and yellow teeth (or no teeth). There is one couple, John and Irma who arein their 90's. She can't make him dinner anymore, he can't build her a house orbuy her nice things. They can't go dancing anymore, they can't makelove.

This last year, the celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.Everyday they go to breakfast together, walk back to their room, come down tolunch, walk back to their room, walk down the hall to dinner, check their mail,buy milk, and go back to their room. They are companions. They have children andgrandchildren and great grandchildren. They are still together and loving eachother after 70 years of watching all their physical beauty fade away rightbefore their eyes. And they are still side by side. Beauty does not stand thetest of time, and there is no point in spending thousands of thousands ofdollars on products and surgeries to make your skin tighter and your boobsperkier. A man and woman who have had an entire lifetime honoring God with theirlives, through every season, even when all the beauty is gone